The invention pertains to a bath additive packet and method of use. Baths are one of the most powerful means of affecting the human system in either health or disease. One example is a hot bath with chamomile added for relief of insect bites, aching muscles, and nervousness. A second example is the addition of Eucalyptus to the bath to open the pores while the vapors rising from the steamy bath water help to clear the breathing passages. A third example is the addition of Hyssop, which has a history of use as a cleansing herb and antiseptic. Other examples include the addition of lavender and rosemary, various tonic herbs, soothing herbs, fragrant herbs, and the like. The list is long and the combinations just as numerous.
Salt is a mineral that is composed primarily of sodium chloride. Salts are generally used for flavoring of foods. Salting is additional used for food preservation. Chloride and sodium ions, the two major components of salt, are needed by all known living creatures in small quantities. Salt is involved in regulating the water content (fluid balance) of the body. However, too much salt increases the risk of health problems, including high blood pressure.
Unrefined sea salts are also commonly used as ingredients in bathing additives and cosmetic products. One example is bath salts, which uses sea salt as its main ingredient and combined with other ingredients used for its healing and therapeutic effects. The salts are dispersed directly into the bath water to dissolve.
Plants contain phytochemicals that have effects on the body. There may be some effects when consumed in the small levels that typify culinary “spicing”, and some herbs are toxic in larger quantities. Medicinal use of herbs in Western cultures has its roots in the Hippocratic (Greek) elemental healing system, based on a 4-fold elements healing metaphor. Modern pharmaceuticals had their origins in crude herbal medicines, and to this day, many drugs are still extracted as fractionate/isolate compounds from raw herbs and then purified to meet pharmaceutical standards.
Herbs are used as an additive to bath water either directly or via a sachet. Many dried herbs possess a scent and healing properties to maintain and promote physical and psychological well-being.
The manufacturing process for inserting tea leaves or other herbs into a porous bag utilizes sterile equipment, generally fabricated of stainless steel. The material is compatible with tea leaves, herbs, and similar leafy substances. Contrarily, salt and similar sodium based substances corrode the equipment commonly used for the packaging of tea bags and similar packets.
Soylon is a fine mesh made from cornstarch. It was designed for use in fabrication of teabags. It was chosen to replace the materials in teabags, since it can be biodegraded and broken down readily by microorganisms in the soil. It is a safe and non-toxic alternative to the paper bags usually employed.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a device for treating bath water, wherein the device provides a predetermined volume of salts and herbs while retaining the body of the herbs from dispersing within the water.